Automated voice-to-reporting/management system and method for voice call-ins of events/crimes

ABSTRACT

A system for institutions (particularly public safety) to accept spoken information such that users can report incident details as required to convey an official incident (e.g., crime) report and to aid in the investigation of the incident. Similarly, users can employ a combination of voice or text input, media submission, [GUI menu screens] and information download to aid in the immediate analysis of incident information to facilitate a rapid response for the incident. This method of interaction with institutions enables reporting parties to more quickly and efficiently convey incident information when direct interaction by an official is not possible or is subject to delay. This helps institutions, for example, police to provide better services while using less staff and resources.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a National Stage filing of PCT application no.PCT/US2013/028377 filed Feb. 28, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/604,196, filed Feb. 28, 2012 and61/658,641 filed Jun. 12, 2012, both titled “AutomatedVoice-to-Reporting/Management System and Method for Voice Call-ins ofEvents/Crimes,” the priority and benefit being claimed herein and thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD

This invention relates to managing voice call-ins. More particularly,the invention relates to computer-aided management ofprocessing/reporting of voice call-ins in official reporting scenarios.

BACKGROUND

Public safety institutions (local, State and Federal) are mandated toprovide services to victims of crime as well as a continuance of crimeprevention activities. Responsibility for these service commitments,including responding to emergencies, are usually assigned to a limitedcollection of trained officers and officials. When criminal acts occur,these officials must constantly evaluate the incident priority anddeploy resources based upon the level of emergency and the potential forsuspect apprehension.

Due to a higher demand than capacity, the response to lower prioritycriminal incidents is regularly delayed or neglected indefinitely. Thiscauses degraded service levels, higher crime rates in certain categoriesand a continual strain on the limited number of officers who areavailable. As an alternative, some institutions employ representativeswho possess a lower level of training that may respond to the incidentlocation, or provide services via a call center. These methods stillrequire staffing of qualified individuals and the associated cost ofemployment. While reducing the burden on the “officials,” a significantamount of manpower and the attendant costs are still required under thecurrent response paradigm.

In view of the above, more efficient/effective methods and systems toresponding/managing call-ins for emergency or other related events areneeded. Methods and systems which address these and other deficienciesin the above-stated paradigm are elucidated in the followingdescription.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. Thissummary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. Its purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form asa prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one aspect of the disclosed embodiments, an automated, computerizedincident reporting apparatus is provided, comprising: a call-in system,adapted to receive a call-in containing at least one of received voiceand text from a user reporting an incident; a web-services connectionsystem, adapted to access at least one of a Computer Aided Dispatch(CAD) system, Records Management System (RMS), and emergencypublic-safety access point system, to provide at least one ofcomplementary information and verification information concerning atleast one of the user and the incident; and an automated voiceprocessing service, adapted to receive at least one of the complementaryinformation and verification information, perform an automatic analysisof at least one of the received voice and text, respond to the user withcontext and key word sensitive questions, associate an ID to theincident, forward the received voice to a transcription service, receivea transcription from the transcription service, create from thetranscription and text (if received from the user) and from thecomplementary information and verification information a reportdetailing facts of the incident, provide an authorized person the reportto review and edit the report, and create a finalized report of theincident, wherein the context and key word sensitive questions utilize aquestioning structure with fixed and dynamic properties.

In another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a method forautomatically generating an incident report is provided, comprising:receiving a call-in containing at least one of received voice and textfrom a user reporting an incident at a call-in system; accessing atleast one of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, Records ManagementSystem (RMS), and emergency public-safety access point system, toprovide at least one of complementary information and verificationinformation concerning at least one of the user and the incident via aweb-services connection system; and receiving at least one of thecomplementary information and verification information, perform anautomatic analysis of at least one of the received voice and text,respond to the user with context and key word sensitive questions,associate an ID to the incident, forward the received voice to atranscription service, receive a transcription from the transcriptionservice, create from the transcription and text (if received from theuser) and from the complementary information and verificationinformation a report detailing facts of the incident, provide anauthorized person the report to review and edit the report, and create afinalized report of the incident, via automated voice processingservice, wherein the context and key word sensitive questions utilize aquestioning structure with fixed and dynamic properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art, reporting/response process fora crime (e.g., robbery) scenario.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary reporting/response processapplied to a crime/scenario.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary process through various systemmodules, in the context of a Robbery Report.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary process flow associated withan “Initialization” module.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of various details of the “Front Lobby” modulewith associated sub-modules and components.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a suitable embodiment of the ReportInput/Edit module along with sub-modules containing questioningsequences that capture information from the reporting party.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of various mechanisms in the Exit module.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an alternative progression through varioustop level modules in the context of an official's review.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of another example of the Initializationmodule, where the caller is identified as an authorized official ratherthan a reporting party

FIG. 10 is an illustration of the Report Room module along with thesub-modules containing the tasks officials will perform, whenreviewing/inputting into the report.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of the Exit module and sub-modules in thecontext of an Official reviewing the report.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of the System Processing system where thereporting party has completed an initial call-in and is following up toprovide additional details (and/or to allow the request a copy of thereport).

FIG. 13 is an illustration of the Initialization module and the pathstaken for a reporting party during a follow up.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of the Front Lobby module steps when a followup is performed.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of the Exit module in the context of areporting party following up on a previous report.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of Review/Output module's functions.

FIG. 17 is an illustration of an exemplary structure of a Question Itemobject, along with the Fixed and Dynamic properties.

FIG. 18 is an illustration of an exemplary flow path for processing aQuestion Item.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustration showing possible supportingarchitecture(s) for an exemplary reporting system.

FIG. 20 is another a block diagram illustration showing another possiblesupporting architecture(s) for an exemplary reporting system.

FIG. 21 is an illustration of exemplary processes used to detect/setmodes for an incoming call/connection.

FIG. 22 is an illustration of a computer system suitable for use in theexemplary reporting system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In various exemplary embodiments described below, methods and systemsfor the computerized acceptance of spoken information forcrime/emergency/event reporting are presented. Generally speaking,effective service to reporting parties can be provided with acomputerized interaction that uses audio and visual interfaces withstructured automation to effectively prompt for information, capturerelevant responses and complete as-needed report(s) without the need forimmediate involvement by an official. In various embodiments, theexemplary system will utilize computerized displays; computerizedvocalizations; decision logic that validates completeness, as well asidentify duplicate reports and highlight key words or phrases;commencement of outbound voice communications; selection of pre-definedresponses for the reporting party; enablement of reporting party tocomplete follow-up actions for the same incident or prohibit furthermanipulation of the report. As will be detailed below, automation of thereport generation aspects of the exemplary embodiments provides, amongother aspects, significant savings in manpower, time and costs whileenhancing service-levels. While the examples below may be described forvictims of lesser crimes, it is understood that the exemplaryembodiments may be applied to the reporting of othercrime/emergency/event situations.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art, reporting/response process fora crime (e.g., robbery) scenario having an Institution 180 and ReportingParty (RP) 182. Incident 181 describes the flow between Institution 180and RP 182. When an event 100 (for example, Robbery) occurs and thevictim RP 182 discovers it 110, he calls 120 the Institution 180, whichis received by a Dispatcher 121. After 130 providing the details to theDispatcher 121, the call is terminated 131 by the RP 182. A period ofdelay 133 occurs at the Institution 180, whereupon officers are sent 135to the scene, to investigate, gather facts 137 from the RP 182. After140 the facts are gathered, a report is manually generated 141 byofficers and/or personnel at the Institution 180. After another periodof delay 143, the report is reviewed by supervisors 145 and after 150review, the report is “approved/completed” 151. The completed report 151is then forwarded 160 to the RP 182 who eventually receives 161 thecompleted report 151. As is apparent, there are many delays in the priorart approach, as well as the significant dedication of several levels ofmanpower to ultimately generate a report.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary reporting/response systemapplied to the scenario of FIG. 1. Similar to FIG. 1, an incident (shownin this example as a robbery) 200 occurs and similar steps between theRP 282 and the Institution 280 occur for the initial call 220. However,upon determination by the Dispatcher 221, an exemplary reporting systemis implemented to expedite many of the steps performed in FIG. 1. Forexample, the exemplary reporting system is engaged 230 by Dispatcher221, to transfer 231 the queries with the RP 282 to be automatic 237, asinterfaced by System Processing module 400. System Processing module 400forwards the responses to be transcribed to Transcription module 247which is then converted into a report by Report Output module 250. Insome embodiments, a measure of transcription certainty is retained forthe Report Output module 250. Report Output module 250 forwards 260(automatically, if needed) to the “officials” or supervisors 252 in orassociated with Institution 280, who then update 261, if necessary, thereport. The updating may simply be approval or requests for moreinformation, or the addition of information. The exemplary reportingsystem then forwards 270 a copy of the finalized report to the RP 271.

In various embodiments, the exemplary reporting system may have a voiceapplication(s) as part of the System Processing module 400 whichinteracts with the RP 282 to collect appropriate details which areforwarded to Transcription module 247. The exemplary reporting system isunderstood to be automated, however, in some instances human-assistedtranscription services may be relied upon for the Report Output module250. Accordingly, in some instances, a portion or entirety of thetranscription can be off-loaded to human transcription service (notshown). In some instances, the human transcription service may simplyoperate to error check or validate the results of Transcription Module247. For example, text or grammar checking could be performed inTranscription Module 247 and an error flag could be set which would sendthe error-tagged portion with the corresponding voice recording portionto the human transcription service. Of course, in some implementations(as a non-limiting example, a high priority call) the entirety or alarge portion of the actual voice recording may be transcribed by thehuman transcription service.

Upon transcription, various forms of error checking (as a non-limitingexample, correlating a reported address in the transcription with theactual address of the caller) or some other quality control measure maybe executed, if so desired. Further, the Report Output Module 250 canalso be forwarded to officials who may yet respond, those that have been“on-site” or officials that are familiar with the situation at hand foradditional input or correction, by either the exemplary reporting systemor by the RP 282.

Upon satisfaction of the report details, the RP 282 can bring closure tothe call-in scenario by, as a non-limiting example, making a payment, ifthis is an insurance related claim, or sending officials to the site, ifthe report indicates that officials should visit the site/caller (ifthey have not already). Of course, other responses are possible, theabove examples just describing a few of many possible resolutionscenarios.

It should be apparent that the above exemplary paradigm is not limitedto solely crime reporting, but can also be applied to other situationswhere an event or details of an event are documented for review andapproval. For example, in the event of a post natural catastrophe, theharmed party could orally detail the circumstances/facts of their lossto their insurance company and the exemplary reporting system could beused to assist in claim assessment and reporting. Due to “sensitivities”of the exemplary reporting system to key words or phrases that aregermane to assessing the seriousness or urgency of the caller's need,the exemplary reporting system can be designed to be flexible enough toprovide personalized service (e.g., switch to a human, or official inthe vicinity) when needed.

With automated reporting, and recognizing the capabilities provided bysuch, the on-site agent/official could be afforded the benefit ofreceiving a pre-report (e.g., detailing the caller's facts) perhaps,even en route to the caller's site. Other possible non-limiting examplesare for medical services or emergencies, where a request for anambulance could be vetted in a similar way, to determine if the need forthe ambulance is genuine or a non-emergency. Also, prior to arrival ofthe medical technicians to the caller's residence, some form ofdocumentation from the exemplary reporting system could be forwarded tothe medical technician, to assist, if needed, the treatment and handlingof the patient. Significant time savings can be obtained if an automaticreporting system, as described, is utilized in the emergency field. Forexample, the prior art Dispatcher typically fields the entire callbefore relaying information to emergency personnel, which carries alarge delay in time. If the secondary details can be offloaded to anexemplary reporting system, the Dispatcher can immediately inform thenecessary emergency personnel to begin their travel to the emergencysite.

Further, with the capability to provide voice-to-report, the exemplaryreporting system may be used by the officials themselves, as a means for“adding” to the report. That is, in some embodiments, the official may“call in” and dictate into the exemplary reporting system to assist informulating the facts for the end report. Accordingly, while thevoice-to-report conversion process is initially described for benefitingthe “first” communication, it may be applied to subsequent sessions—bythe “victim” and/or by the official(s).

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustration showing possible supportingarchitecture(s) for an exemplary reporting system. The exemplaryreporting system 370 communicates to various Institutions 300 andDevice(s) 350, via connections (maybe secure, for example, HTTPS) 309,317, web service connection 313 and voice connection 319. TheInstitutions 300 can be a compendium of “external” systems which cancontain a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system 301, Records ManagementSystem (RMS) 303, and emergency public-safety access point system (aka911 service) 305, as well as other systems 306 that may be institutionalor not. In a crime based scenario, the RMS 303 will commonly be theofficial repository of crime reports. The Institutions 300, depending onthe call-in scenario, provide complementary information and/orverification information concerning the reporting party. For example,the caller's location based on 911 support.

Devices 350 can contain a repertoire of various communication devicesincluding landlines 351, wireless 352, tablet computers 355,computers/servers/etc. 357, cell phones or cell based communicationdevices 358, as well as other now or future derived communicationdevices 359.

The exemplary reporting system 370 contains a Voice-to-ReportingServices engine 400, Voice Transcription Service(s) module 320 andConnection/Web Service Manager module 330, shown here as being secure.Due to different communication paradigms by different systems,Connection/Web Service Manager module 330 is utilized to coordinatesecure and/or web-based digital communications between the varioussystems via connections 309, 313 and 317, and forwarding suchcommunications to Voice-to-Reporting Services engine 400 via link 316.Though not explicitly shown, Connection/Web Service Manager module 330can include secure data storage, application provisioning, analysistools and decision support logic.

The Connection/Web Service Manager module 330 can provide application orsoftware provisioning onto one or more of the user's Devices 350 fromthe Reporting System 370 via link 317, or via external ApplicationSources 360 using communication links 312 and 314 using any meansavailable, for example, HTTP/Web, cellular, wi-fi, etc. TheConnection/Web Service Manager 330 can also initiate via link 317, forexample, the launching of applications on one or more of the Devices 350upon the completion of provisioning, along with loading of sessionspecific application data associated with the current report inputsession.

Voice Transcription Service(s) module 320 communicates withVoice-to-Voice-to-Reporting Services engine 400 via link 315. Voicetranscription for Voice Transcription Service(s) module 320 can beexternally facilitated by Voice Transcription Service 336 via externallink 334. Voice transcription can be accomplished using computerizedspeech recognition, manual voice transcription services by anotherperson, or some combination thereof. Voice transcription via VoiceTranscription Service(s) 336 (320) may have a transcription modeselection capability, to dynamically select the optimal method oftranscription using criteria such as: transcription service costs,process duration; transcription quality, current service performancelevels, transcription processing time, and the nature of the informationbeing transcribed. Actual voice call-ins from Device(s) 350 may bechanneled, if so desired, directly to Voice App Service 310 in theVoice-to-Reporting Services engine 400. Voice-to-Reporting Servicesengine 400 will also contain Reporting module 340, as well as othernecessary modules 338. In some instances, a mode of Voice TranscriptionService(s) module 320 may augment its transcription capability by spokenrepetition of original responses by a secondary person whose voice isdirectly linked to better-trained automated speech recognition services.

The bi-directional nature of the various communication links indicatesthat communication can also occur “from” the exemplary reporting system370. For example, Voice App Service 310 in the Voice-to-ReportingServices engine 400 will have the capability to prompt/ask questions toa caller (aka Device(s) 350), conceivably even with text messaging, ifso configured. Therefore, an interaction with caller can be via acomputerized presentation and reception of spoken dialog, if soconfigured.

Also, information between CAD system 301, RMS 303, and emergencypublic-safety access point system (aka 911 service) 305 can bedownloaded/uploaded, if so designed, allowing various offices inInstitutions 300 to be updated with current information from theVoice-to-Reporting Services engine 400. This process enables informationabout an incident to be forwarded, by the Institution(s) 300, toresponding officials in the event they dispatched at some point afterthe reporting party has provided the initial input.

As another example of information exchange, CAD 301 may exchangedata/information with “911” institutions 305, RMS 309, using informationstored in the exemplary voice-based reporting system 370. This“integration” allows various institution(s) 300 to exchangeincident-related details captured during the initial dialog with the“911” caller, which can provide context for each institutional elementand also provide context during the appropriate questioning sequence inthe exemplary reporting system 370. For example, the automatic numberinformation (ANI), caller ID, automatic location information (ALI),address of record, cellular coordinates, and so forth—as originatingfrom a 911 call) can be incorporated into the exemplary reporting system370 via actions/protocol management initiated by Connection/Web ServiceManager module 330, to eliminate the need to solicit this basic dataagain from the caller. If the data is generated by the Institution(s)300 in a web-based document/form, it can be polled by the Connection/WebService Manager module 330, and the information forwarded to theexemplary reporting system 370.

While this description contains FIGS. which show “modules” withoutexplicit hardware representations, it is understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art, that these are computer-based systems that inherentlycontain a combination of computer-based hardware and transformativesoftware processes, the transformative processes being described herein.Also, while FIG. 19 illustrates various architectural elements for usewith an exemplary reporting system 370, it should be appreciated thatother architectural elements may be added or the elements shown may becombined, distributed, layered, etc. according to design preference.Accordingly, having understood the precepts behind the exemplaryreporting system 370, one of ordinary skill in the art may make variousmodifications or changes thereto without departing from the spirit andscope of this disclosure.

FIG. 20 is another a block diagram illustration showing another possiblesupporting architecture for an exemplary voice reporting system 370.Generally speaking, integration with the Institution 300 and/or CADsystems is shown to exchange other incident-related details capturedduring the initial dialog with the reporting caller. That integrationprovides context for the appropriate questioning sequence in the VoiceApp Service 310. It also exemplifies Voice Transcription 320 byintegration with external services. This may include computerized speechrecognition, manual voice transcription services by another person, orsome combination thereof. Information obtained from the reporting partyby the voice reporting system 370 will also be available fortransmission to the Institution's 300 CAD system or “911” system througha web service 325. This process enables information about an incident tobe forwarded to responding officials via these systems in the event theyare dispatched at some point after the reporting party has provided theinitial input.

Specifically speaking, voice reporting system 370 contains threeprincipal systems: Voice App Service 310, Voice Transcription Service(s)320 and Web Integration Service 330. All three principal systems havedirect or indirect communication channels to external systems such asInstitution 300 and caller devices (phone 358, wireless device 353,Tablet 355, PC/Mac 357, and Smartphone 359). Of course, other devicesnot listed herein may be used according to design preference. Voice link319 is used to connect any voice call to Voice App Service 310, andinformation is gathered from the caller via appropriate querying by theVoice App Service 310. “Web” link 323 is used to connect the WebIntegration Service 330 to “computer-like” devices such as the Tablet355, PC/Mac 357 and Smartphone 359, which provides web-like interactionto gather non-voice information from the caller. For security purposes,a HTTPS (or VPN or other secure) connection may be the connection ofchoice when interfacing via web link 323.

Information from either Voice App Service 310 and Web IntegrationService 330 is forwarded to Voice Transcription Service(s) 320 forconversion into text. Information can also be obtained from Institution300 for querying the caller or information obtained from the caller canbe forwarded to Institution 300 (for example, a 911 call is detected).Institution 300 and its resources may contain data that assist inresolving the call-in. such as verification of address of the call-in.Institution 300 is linked to exemplary reporting service 370 via anetwork connection 325 such as HTTPS or a dedicated web services linkCoordination of the call-in queries by the exemplary reporting system370 and the automation capabilities provided by the various supportingsystems result in an efficient report generating paradigm that can beimplemented with little to no disruption to prior art call-in centers.

FIG. 22 is an illustration of basic hardware elements in a computerdevice/system 2200 suitable for use in the exemplary reporting system.The computer system 2200 contains a main processor/CPU 2210communicating with discrete memory 2220 and/or hard drive memory 2230.The memories 2220, 2230 may be co-located with CPU 2210 (on same board)or on a separate platform (e.g., RAID). Software running on CPU 2210 maybe stored in CPU 2210 and/or on discrete memory 2220 and/or hard drivememory 2230, as well as on removable media 2240. Data/Comm Bus 2260provides communication pathways between various hardware elements andalso to external systems (not shown) via path 2260. It is understoodthat FIG. 22 is a simple illustration, showing basic components of acomputer and that computers may vary in many respects, according todesign preference. For example, multiple CPUs, Buses, Memory may beutilized to increase performance, as well as specific hardware chips,such as networking, graphic processors and so forth. Accordingly,various modifications and changes may be made to computer system 2200 byone of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit andscope of this disclosure.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentdisclosure and of computer system 2200, described in FIG. 22, may beembodied as an apparatus that incorporates some software components.Accordingly, some embodiments of the present disclosure, or portionsthereof, may combine one or more hardware components such asmicroprocessors, microcontrollers, or digital sequential logic, etc.,such as processor 2210 with one or more software components (e.g.,program code, firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) stored in atangible computer-readable memory device such as memory 2220, 2230, thatin combination form a specifically configured apparatus that performsthe functions as described herein. These combinations that formspecially-programmed devices may be generally referred to herein“modules”. The software component portions of the modules may be writtenin any computer language and may be a portion of a monolithic code base,or may be developed in more discrete code portions such as is typical inobject-oriented computer languages. In addition, the modules may bedistributed across a plurality of computer platforms, servers,terminals, and the like. A given module may even be implemented suchthat the described functions are performed by separate processors and/orcomputing hardware platforms. In addition, some embodiments of theapparatus may include a tangible computer readable medium 2240containing instructions stored therein that when executed by aprocessing device cause the processing device to implement the methodsas described herein.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary process through various systemmodules for managing an exemplary reporting system, as disclosed herein,in the context of a Robbery Report. Supporting this organization ofsystem modules is one or more of the architectures described in FIG.19-20, whereas the architecture(s) can be supported by computer systemsand communication systems that are adapted to provide the linkages andcapabilities described herein. Layering the system modules as describedherein, provides for automation of various steps that were previouslyonly possible through human/manual interaction, as well as enhancedreporting capabilities, while still providing appropriate levels of“control,” as needed.

The following description of FIG. 3 will be cursory, the details of eachsystem module being more fully explored in the ensuing FIGS. Theillustrated System Processing 400 organization is configured in acontext that mimics the operational nature of police services at apolice station. Generally speaking, the exemplary process for theexample of a Robbery Report begins with an Initialization module 500that provides basic start-up/house-keeping management. Afterinitialization for Exception 520 handling, the Front Lobby system module600 engages and generally acts as salutations/initial caller assessment,involving questions presented to the caller, as deemed appropriate. TheFront Lobby module 600 is the point of initial system contact with areporting party. Handshaking 610 and Triage 630 forward the callhandling to Report Input-Edit module 700 which obtains the details fromthe victim/reporting party. The Report Input-Edit module 700 andReview/Output module 800 serve as the service point for completing andobtaining a crime report.

The Report Room module 900 is isolated from citizens and is onlyavailable to officials who, for example, review reports, request moreinformation or approve reports previously submitted, etc. The Exitmodule 1000 manages subsequent actions depending upon the status of thesession and reports.

In Report Input-Edit module 700, subsequent to the collection ofEvidence 770, a Farewell action 690 is triggered and the process caninvoke the Review/Output module 800 or proceed to the Exit module 1000,where the case facts/information/data is updated 1010 and Notification1020 is made to the appropriate individuals/organizations. Finally,Shredder module 1030 is invoked to remove or encrypt the report data.Involvement of the other system and/or sub-modules in the exemplaryprocess is dependent upon the status of the current event.

FIG. 4 illustrates and exemplary process flow associated withInitialization module 500 and its associated sub-modules (System/AppLogic 510, Exceptions 520) and components. The Initialization module 500can be used to automatically collect and prepare session specific dataand parameters that control the system logic, application logic, andsession-specific handling of exceptions. It may also determine whatalternative modes of communication available (if any), prepare thealternative modes of communication, and may enable the transition to thealternate modes.

For example, System/App Logic sub-module 510 determines System StatusProperties 512 to identify current availability of externalTranscription services 513, Interfaces to other systems 514 and Storageresources 515. System Status Properties 512 can be periodically updatedwith the status of these sub-systems or updated upon polling. Theseproperty values are used during the session to optimize or limit thequestioning sequences. Likewise, Session Properties 530 are capturedhere to further adapt the mode of communication and the questioningsequence based upon knowledge of the user's Device 531 and Mode ofcommunication 535, having discrimination levels 532-534 and 536-539,respectively. Other devices and other modes are possible beyond thosecurrently listed as alternatives become available.

The Detect Device 531 and Set Modes 535 sub-modules include steps todetermine device capabilities and enable a transition to an alternatemode of communication with the system. Once the alternative mode, ifneeded, is established, or the original mode is selected, processingwill continue with utilization of the device and mode specificparameters. For example, this FIG. depicts a system session that wasinitially established with a user with a landline telephone device.

Referring now to FIG. 21, for one non-limiting example of possibleprocesses/decisions in Detect Device 531 and Set Mode 535 sub-modules,when a cell or web connection is detected. Device Interrogation 2111 canbe performed and a Device Lookup 2112 to further determinecharacteristics and capabilities of the user's device. Then GetCapability Options 2113 captures this data and the system SelectsCapability Options 2114 can be utilized to further assess thecapabilities of the device. Subsequent steps such as DeviceIdentification 2121, Device ID lookup 2122, Set Session Data 2123 andSet Opt-In Options 2124, individually or aggregately, may be invoked,the respective steps being descriptively self-evident. For example,whether the user is calling in from a simple cell phone versus asmartphone can be determined via the Detect Device sub-module 531. Theassociated data is then captured into the session record.

Continuing, the Get Agency Mode Options 2131 sub-module establishesagency-specific controls on available modes, and is followed by a Promptfor Desired Modes 2123. The user may select one or more available modesand the Set Mode Change 2133 documents the selection. Upon the CheckApplication Setup on Device 2134, the system may then Push Application &Install 2141 a program on the selected device. Validate App Install 2142will determine if setup was successful; and if unsuccessful 2116, thesession Continues Initial Mode 2151. If Validate 2142 is successful, theUser Opt-In Prompt 2143 follows and records user preference for thesession. If the user does not Opt-In 2143, then Continue Initial Mode2151 follows. Upon acceptance of Opt-in 2143, Load Session Data 2144transfer's session specific data to the device via the alternative mode.Finally, the Run Application 2145 sub-module initiates the alternateapplication on the device and the session continues with the selectedmode. For this example that alternate mode is Web 539 rather than theinitial mode Voice 536.

A specific example of this process can be envisioned by a reportingparty being prompted or requesting for continuation (or even initiation)of the report/call via an application that is either residing on hisdevice or can be loaded onto his device. That is, the device applicationcan be used to continue with processing the report at this stage. Thisoption allows for users to use an application (aka app) or othersoftware appliance that may be tailored to their device, allowing moreefficient use of the hardware available. As one non-limiting example, avoice-controlled or voice-assistant application that utilizes asmart-phone's voice recognition capabilities can be downloaded to betterreplicate voice-to-text or text-to-voice questioning, or other automatedquestion/response interactions. Of note is the recent use ofvoice-assistant applications that are resident on modern smart phones,smart devices. This would allow the exemplary system to exploit a devicecapability of the user's device to proxy the oral querying.

It should be understood that while the above FIGS. show the deviceapplication being relegated to interrogation, mode selection andsession-data transfer, other capabilities that would benefit theexchange of information/processing/report formulation are contemplatedand are understood to be within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Returning now to FIG. 4, when the mode of communication is voice 536,the system will trigger Get Inbound Data sub-module 544 (versus SetOutbound Call Info sub-module 540) to obtain Caller ID 544/Number called548 and optional, Automatic Number Information and Automatic LocationInformation (ANI/ALI) 545, or CAD information 546 is captured to reducethe need for the reporting party to re-enter information that haspreviously been determined. App & Security ID 547 is used for capturinga unique identification code associated with the instance and version ofthe application being employed for the current user-session. A uniquesecurity identification code (specified by the user, or generatedautomatically during application install) may also be captured at thispoint. These codes are captured into the session specific records inorder to enable user-specific authentication for subsequent sessions. Italso provides a method for linking session activity to a specific deviceand/or user.

Further, a Match to Institution 550 is provided which dynamicallydetermines which institution this reporting party is served by. In allcases, there are institution specific settings that can be set duringinitialization in the Set Institution 551, which may be facilitated bychecking for earlier reports 553,

None/New/Closed, Followup/Edit, and Review operations 554, 555, 556,respectively, are available for action based on the result of CheckPrior Reports 553. Depending on the type of scenario this invention isapplied to situation (e.g., insurance claim), these institution specificsettings may be appropriately altered without departing from the spritand scope of this disclosure.

For a None/New 554 status, and presuming there are no exceptions/faultsthat are detected in System/App Logic system 510, the exemplary processproceeds 563 to Front Lobby module 600 for appropriate “front lobby”processing which, in this example, entails general “handshaking.”

Also illustrated as part of the Initialization module 500, Exceptionssub-module 520 initializes the exception-handling for various scenariosincluding: No Institution Match 521 and Key Word Hit 524. Key Word Hit524 establishes how the system processes each occurrence of apre-determined key word in the input from the reporting party. Forexample, if the word “shotgun” is received at any time during thesession, an alert message can be immediately sent to an official and theexemplary process Transfers Request 525 to the appropriate party andHangs up 526 with a subsequent System Down 527 or restart. Otherparameters can be initialized that determine institution-specifichandling of incomplete sessions, interrupted communications, and routingnumbers for call-transfers.

Additional capabilities such as Identify/PIN 522, Closed Report 523 areprovided in the event that workflow exceptions occur which requirenon-standard session handling. For example, when a session PIN 522 codeprovided is found to be invalid, the process may utilize an alternativemethod to associate this user and session to the correct incidentpreviously created, such as the use of challenge questions, validationof personal data previously captured, or comparison of unique device orapplication identification codes. Another possible example of a workflowexception is when the current session is associated to a report recordwith a status code set to a Closed Record 523. In that case, the sessionwill be restricted from further edits, available for read-only review,or branch to a supplemental report input module, if so permitted by theagency-specific settings.

FIG. 5 illustrates the details of the “Front Lobby” module 600 withassociated sub-modules and components. As stated above, the Front Lobbymodule 600 is the point of initial system contact with reporting party.The Handshake module 610 contains the Language 611 that enables dynamicconfiguration of the language used, or activation of logic in support oflanguage-line services wherein a third-party joins the call to serve asan intermediate translator between the system and the reporting party.The Greetings and Warning 612 provides announcements and capturesaffirmation from the reporting party that information being provided istrue and correct, along with provision for the user to exit the process.This component also can be adapted to, if so configured, to capturebiometric data samples for unique caller identification andauthorization.

In order to provide the reporting party access to their report in futuresessions, the Assign Session ID 613 provides them with unique IDinformation. This is institution-specific and incident specific. Shouldthe user have ID information already, they can provide it via the PriorSession ID/PIN 614 and the system will pre-load all current crime reportdata for their incident. In FIG. 6, the Handshake sub-module 610 canalso utilize the Prior Session ID/PIN 614 entered by an official to gainaccess to the Report Room module 900.

FIG. 5 further illustrates the Triage sub-module 630, which is enteredafter Assign Session ID 613 is completed. Provided an existing/priorSession ID/PIN 614 is not found, the system will follow the process inthe following sequence: Confirm RP Phone 631; Obtain RP Name 632;confirm if the user is the Reporting Party on behalf of the victim or isthe Victim 633 of the crime; and the Type of Crime 634. These are keyinputs for a crime report and must be successfully collected.

Given these basic items 631-634, the Triage sub-module 630 will use themto determine several things including: is this an Included Crime 635 inthe types accepted by this institution using this system; if this is aPriority Crime 636 that requires an immediate response by an official;if this is a Duplicate 637 of crime report previously started orcompleted; if this is an emergency and the reporting party should beReferred to “911” immediately 640; if the incident report of this typefor this institution is to be Referred to another system 641 (i.e.,Graffiti Removal Hotline); or if the crime occurred in an area that isunder the jurisdiction of another institution and should therefore beReferred to other institution 643. Once the Triage questioning sequenceand logic is processed, and Start New 638 report is triggered, the flowproceeds 645 to the Report Input/Edit module 700 if the report is new orincomplete—or to the Report Review/Output module 800 if the report iscomplete.

If the Check Duplicate 637 module results in a match to a record that isincomplete, the process will proceed to the Follow-up sub-module 650 toenable completion of the existing report. The Follow-up sub-module 650contains questioning items associated with a reporting party who: wishesto Input More Info 651; needs to provide more Required Items 652 notsuccessfully captured during previous sessions; or must provideRequested Items 653 that an official needs in order to finalize thereport. Additional capabilities provided in the Follow-up sub-module 650can include enablement of the reporting party to complete follow-upactions for the same incident or prohibit further manipulation of thereport.

The Follow-up sub-module 650 components also include Notifications 655for the reporting party regarding the status of the report including: ifthe report has been Finalized 656; the issuance of a Case Number 657; ifNo Report 659 is warranted; if the report is Unfounded 660, Duplicated661, or has been Closed 663. When an outbound session is initiated andthe user has entered the valid session ID and PIN, they will be directedimmediately to the Follow-up sub-module 650.

The Other Requests sub-module 670, includes methods for a user tosubmit: Suspicious Activity 671 (anonymously if desired); CitizenComplaints 672; or Officer Appreciation 674 comments. Availability ofthese options are institution-specific and Other Services 680 may beentered or dynamically set during session initialization. Non-limitingexamples being Graffiti Removal 681 or Other Services 683, as accordingto design preference.

The Front Lobby 600 continues the conceptual analogy to an RP'scommunication with officials at the station by providing the Farwellsub-module 690. The reporting party who has entered a crime report intothe system is further supported by being informed about What to Expect691. This is context sensitive and anticipates the concerns of thereporting party. This also provides guidance on next steps, andpragmatic commentary about the type of crime they have been a victim of.

The Farwell sub-module 690 also enables reporting parties to receiveForensic Tips 693 that describe specific things they can do to identifyfacts or evidence that may support the investigation of the crime. Itincludes suggestions for locating stolen property, preventingre-occurrences or networking with neighbors to better detect criminalactivity. The Survey 695 enables the user to provide feedback about thesystem and the police services they may have received. There can beother surveys made available from other institutions targeted towardvictim services. The Salutations 697 gives final instructions andannouncements prior to being disconnected from the current session viaExit module 1000.

FIG. 6 shows a suitable embodiment of the Report Input/Edit module 700along with the sub-modules containing the questioning sequences thatcapture the crime report information from the reporting party. Initialentry into the system is depicted at the top of the figure in theInstructions sub-module 710, and continues down through subsequentsub-modules as determined by the type of crime specified. Each componentrepresents one or more questions, the collection of recorded responses,decision-logic, data transfer, and session status updates. The ReportInput-Edit module 700 and Review/Output module 800 can serve as theservice point for completing and obtaining a crime report.

The Warning 711 is where the user is admonished regarding the legalconsequences of providing a false or misleading crime report. BasicInstructions 712 are also provided and the user may Exit 713 the systemat this point if desired without creating a crime report.

Should the user continue, the Incident Detail sub-module 720 will firstConfirm RP Phone 721 to obtain the best contact number for return callsand an optional email address. If the user is reporting on behalf of abusiness or institution, the system will Obtain RP Name details 722 andthe name of the Business 723. For crime types that involve damage orloss, the Total Value Loss 725 obtains the total monetary sum of allitems associated with the incident. The Incident Location 726 is thencaptured as well as the Incident Time 726 and date. Incident Detailsub-module 720 question items may be bypassed after employing datareceived during the initial session connection (caller ID, ANI, DNIS),or may proceed to prompt the user for information if needed. Additionalinformation is then captured in the Victim(s)/RP sub-module 730 toinclude: RP Address 731; Date of birth 732; Driver's License or ID card733; as well information about Additional Victims 734.

The module Report Input/Edit 700 then captures the details about itemsthat were taken or damaged in the Loss/Damage sub-module 740. This partof the questioning sequence is iterative enabling the user to providedetails on multiple items. In addition to Item Name 741, Item Details742, Item Value 743, Identification Numbers 744, Item location 746, thissequence also captures the Explanation of damage 747 (if appropriate)and also enables Upload of Media 748 (images, video, etc.) for eachitem.

The Suspect(s) sub-module 750 depicts the suspect information questionsequence including the Names 751, Descriptions 752, location of possiblesuspects or suspect Vehicles 753 associated with the crime. Informationon multiple suspects can be accepted.

In the Narrative/M.O. sub-module 760, the question sequence isdetermined by the system depending upon the type of crime and sessioninformation. For burglary, the Structure Type 762 and Point of Entry 763are included. Most other crimes also include the Crime Area 761, SuspectActions 765, Crime Description 766 and the RP Statement 767 (ifappropriate) that captures what happened.

The sub-module Evidence 770 follows the sequence of questions regardingany physical evidence that may be known to the RP including: Type ofEvidence 771; the Location 772 of the evidence; Comments 773 aboutnature of or details about the item. Finally, here too the Upload Media774 enables submission of images, video or other media related to theevidence. Once the required responses are received, the flow returns tothe Front Lobby module 600.

Returning to FIG. 5, the progression can resume through the Farewellsub-module 690. The previously determined incident type is then employedin the What to Expect 691 that provides context-specific details abouthow the institution will respond and what additional steps the RP may berequired to complete. Forensic Tips 693 then examines informationpreviously collected from the RP and provides context-specific guidanceon observing and collecting additional evidence, and suggestionsregarding recovery of property, as one of many possible examples.

An optional Survey 695 enables the RP to complete one or more surveys.Finally, the system can provide institution-specific Salutations 697 tothe RP. For this example, the computerized interaction with the RP iscomplete at this point and processing continues 647 to the Exit module1000.

FIG. 7 describes mechanisms in the Exit module 1000, which are alsorepeated in FIGS. 11 (official review of report) and 15 (reporting partyfollow up). Details of the Exit module 1000 are fully presented in thedescription of FIG. 15, provided below. FIG. 7 is presented here toshown one scenario where a robbery report is being entered by areporting party, and the session is terminated with required steps beingcompleted to close the session and exit the system.

FIGS. 8-11 show an alternative progression through Initialization module500, continuing to Report Room module 900, then to Exit module 1000 inthe context of an Officer (for example, official or supervisor) review.In FIG. 8, when an “official” is requesting a review of the report,Report Room module 900 is invoked, the processes of which are detailedin FIG. 10. After completion of the Report Room module 900, the processgoes to the Exit module 1000, which is fully detailed in FIG. 11. Manyaspects shown in FIG. 8 are self-explanatory or detailed in thefollowing FIGS.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of another example of the Initializationmodule 500, where the caller is identified as an authorized officialrather than a reporting party. In this scenario, a web based device isdetected 534, 539 and the official's security code or access is vetted547. The process proceeds along similar paths as described in FIG. 4,therefore no additional discussion is deemed necessary.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of the Report Room module 900 along with thesub-modules containing the tasks officials will perform (per FIG. 8'sarrangement) associated with crime reports entered into this system.Officials may utilize this module using voice or a web-basedapplication. The Queues sub-module 910 provides the entry point forofficials after processing through the Initialization module 500. TheAlerts 911, provides access to any priority messages such as would begenerated from hits on key word searches in responses. New Reports 912can be queued up for review based on Alerts 911 results. The Follow-up913 enables access to reports that have been previously reviewed forwhich additional reporting party input has been received; items targetedfor follow up can be processed.

The Transcriptions 914 enables officials to complete manualtranscription of any items in the system pending transcription and theitems are ranked by relative priority. The queue of transcription itemsis inclusive of all those associated with the crime reports for thatinstitution.

The graphical interface of the Transcriptions 914 enables the officialto view the question item details and listen to the recording collectedfrom the reporting party. The official can then repeat what they heardinto the system which then uses automated speech recognition (ASR) thathas been trained for their voice to generate the text from their voicerecording. The result is displayed with the option to score thetranscription, designate the need for confirmation from the reportingparty, or to approve the transcription. Other options include theability for any system-based follow-up with the reporting party to bedependent on a series of modified questions as specified by theofficial. The exemplary system can be designed to pre-designate incidenttypes along with required and optional elements needed to fully completethe report; as well as dynamically generate a listing of required reportinformation not yet received successfully; and/or automaticallyfield-level compare a selected report to other reports to find,visualize and enable a merge of data from duplicate incident reports;and/or supplementally notify the existence of key words or phrases witha suggested action.

Transcriptions 914 also displays the responses to all other questionitems in the same sub-module and component for that crime report. Forexample, in the Victim(s)/RP sub-module 730 (seen in FIG. 6), the DL/IDCard 733 may include question items for “State”, “ID type” and “IDnumber.” When “ID number” is in the queue for transcription, the usercan be shown responses to all three items to better aid in establishingthe context for the item being transcribed.

When the New Reports 912 is accessed and a report is selected, theofficial is then provided the option of Summary Review 920 tasksincluding: exclusive review of Entered Items 921; review of RequiredItems only 922; the required items that are Missing 923; or to Request aCopy 924 of the report via email or via other output options.

The Detail Review sub-module 930 provides selective access to the reportcontent organized into major divisions: Crime/Incident 931; Victim(s)/RP932; Loss/Damage 933; Suspect(s) 934; report Narrative 935; ModusOperandi (M.O.) Information 936; and Evidence 937.

The Inquire More sub-module 940 provides methods for further interactionwith the reporting party, or use of other resources to investigate thecrime report in greater detail. The system provides a Check Duplicates941 that searches for other incidents within the system that matchdetails of the selected report based upon items such as location, timeof incident, or suspect information. When duplicate reports areidentified, the official is able to consolidate items between reports.

When appropriate, the user may create a Cross-Reference 945 between twoor more incidents in the system. The official can also utilize theFollow-up with RP 942 to solicit more information from the reportingparty. This may include initiation of an outbound phone call to thereporting party by the voice application, an email message, or textmessage.

The Check Area 946 contains options to search external records or crimedatabase systems for possible matches to the details of the selectedreport. Results are presented to the official showing the correlation.

The Admin Details sub-module 940 provides administrative informationabout the selected report including one or more of: Status of the Report951; an option to Reassign 953 ownership to another official; or Notify954 another official (such as a criminal investigator) via email withthe selected report forwarded as an attachment.

The Settings option 955 enables access to a graphical interface toadminister the institution specific settings in the system. A secondaryusername and ID are required for access to this component.

The Report Room module 900 can also contain sub-modules Validate Report960 and Close/Forward 970 that enable the official to ultimately approveor reject the crime report and Finalize 961 tasks on the selectedreport. Each component requires input by the official to properlydocument the action(s) taken. The Comment 963 enables the official tocommunicate the outcome of the crime report to the RP with the option toselect pre-defined phrases or manually enter the desired comments. TheTransmission 964 of the final outcome can be communicated to thereporting party by the official using the voice system, email, instantmessage, or text message. The official status is set when a report isClosed 975 and may include: No Report 971; Unfounded 972; Duplicate 973;or Expired 974. After Closed 975, the process proceeds to the Exitmodule 1000.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a suitable embodiment of the Exit module1000 and sub-modules that handle session termination procedures andsystem functions including: Update Case records 1010, Notifications 1020and the Shredder 1030. FIG. 11 shows the Exit module 1000 in the contextof an Official reviewing the report. The Terminate CommunicationsSession 1011, closes the system's connection to the user, and theprocessing continues with one or more additional steps including:Encrypt Data 1013, Compress Media 1015, Transfer to Storage 1017 andUpdate Report Status 1018, the functions of the component steps beingself-explanatory.

The Notifications sub-module 1020 processes the transfer of informationto concerned parties and other external systems. Update Web Links 1021updates URL addresses to media attachments and report summaries. Anyemail messages and instant messages are processes in the Send Email(s)1023. Update Prior Notifications 1025 updates or removes priornotifications posted for this report while Post New Notifications 1027send new Notifications to the appropriate queues. The Export Records1028 manages the transfer of the report to the institution's system(i.e., RMS) if appropriate.

The sub-module Shredder 1030 performs cleanup of report recordsdepending upon the status of the report. If this is a Closed Report 1031all data for this crime report is removed from system storage and logfiles. A Cancelled Report 1033 is retained but flagged for removal aftera period designated by the institution. When a Duplicate Report 1035 isencountered during processing, this component will remove duplicate datafrom storage and logs. The Scrub Log Files 1037 will ensure no personalor sensitive data is retained on the system for this session. Finallythe system will Reset Session Variables 1038 to end the session.

FIGS. 12-15 detail an RP follow-up session processing, after the initialcall-in report, from Initialization module 500, to Front Lobby module600 (Follow-up sub-module), then to Exit module 1000. Aspects of thisprogression are provided below/above, many features beingself-explanatory. FIG. 12 shows the System Processing system 400 wherethe reporting party has completed an initial call-in and is following upto provide additional details (and/or to allow the request a copy of thereport). Follow up may be initiated by the exemplary system, via a call,email, text, etc. to the reporting party. Initialization module 500processes the call/contact and forwards to the Front Lobby module 600which determines that the caller is a prior reporting party and sendsthe call to the Follow-up sub-module 650 for appropriate transfer to theReview/Output module 800, based on the caller's information.Review/Output module 800 then queries the caller for the additionaldetails and Hears Details sub-module 810 processes the addedinformation. If the caller requests a copy, then Request Copy sub-module820 is invoked and the heard details are Appended 830 to the report. Theprocess then transfers to Farwell sub-module 690 in the Front Lobbymodule 600, where the system proceeds to the Exit module 1000.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of the Initialization module 500 and thepaths taken for a reporting party during a follow up. Contrary to theprevious paths seen in FIGS. 4 and 9, an Outbound Call 540 is invoked tocontact the prior reporting party. A Follow up 555 status is flagged andthe Initialization module 500 transfers to the Front Lobby module 900,which performs the additional querying/follow up questions.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of the Front Lobby module 600 steps when afollow up is performed. In contrast to the former Front Lobby module 600path seen in FIG. 5, the Get Prior Session ID 614 sub-module 614 isinvoked, correlating this exchange with the reporting party to a priorreport. Then Required Items 652 and Requested Items 653 are cycledthrough to obtain additional information as seen in steps (691, 693,695, 697) of Farwell sub-module 690. Upon completion of the Salutations697, the process proceeds to the Exit module 1000.

FIG. 15 illustrates a suitable embodiment of the Exit module 1000, asentered via Report Room module 900, shows sub-modules that handlesession termination procedures and system functions including: UpdateCase records 1010, Notifications 1020 and the Shredder 1030. FIG. 15shows the Exit module 1000 in the context of a reporting party followingup on a previous report. Terminate Communications Session 1011 closesthe system's connection to the user, and the processing continues withadditional steps including: Encrypt Data 1013, Compress Media 1015,Transfer to Storage 1017 and Update Report Status 1018, these functionsbeing self-explanatory.

Next, the Notifications sub-module 1020 processes the transfer ofinformation to concerned parties and other external systems. Forexample, Update Web Links 1021 updates URL addresses to mediaattachments and report summaries. Any email messages and instantmessages are processed in Send Email(s) 1023 and queued/connected tocontact information via Queue Out-bound Contact 1024. Update PriorNotifications 1025 updates or removes prior notifications posted forthis report while Post New Notifications 1027 sends new Notifications tothe appropriate queues. The Export Records 1028 manages the transfer ofthe report to the institution's system (i.e., RMS) if appropriate.

After completion of Notifications sub-module 1020, the sub-moduleShredder 1030 performs cleanup of report records depending upon thestatus of the report. If this is a Closed Report 1031, all data for thiscrime report is removed from system storage and log files. A CancelledReport 1033 retains the report, but is flagged for removal after aperiod designated by a respective institution. When a Duplicate Report1035 is encountered during processing, this component will removeduplicate data from storage and logs. The Scrub Log Files 1037 processwill ensure no personal or sensitive data is retained on the system forthis session. Finally the system will Reset Session Variables 1038 toend the session.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of Review/Output module's 800 functions,which is applicable to any of the suitable examples provided above. Thepresent scenario described for this Review Output module 800 is for asituation where a report was previously entered, and no follow up isrequired by the RP. Nonetheless, the interested party can still accessthe report to review it or request a copy by various means.

For example, transcription events may have occurred yielding the need toconfirm or alter of previous responses for required items. In that case,those question items are re-presented to the user in the Front Lobbymodule's 600 Follow-up sub-module 650. The Review/Output module 800provides a sub-module process for the user to Hear Details 810, limitedto just the Required Items 811 for their report, or all Entered Items812. The Request Copy sub-module 820 can email the reporting party (RP)via process Email RP 821, or Email 3^(rd) Party 822, or request regularMail to RP 823 via a postal service.

In some embodiments, the report or a portion of the report informationwould be automatically transmitted/forwarded to external public safetysystems, as well as to select recipients. This may be accomplished by acomputerized out-bound calling/emailing system that would contact theconcerned parties via computerized telephone calls, text-messages, andinstant messaging services or imaging devices.

Additionally, in the Append or Cancel sub-module 830, users who may havepreviously completed a report can Add Comments 831, Complete More Items832 (non-required items), or Add Media 833 via upload. They may alsoRequest Cancelation 835 of the report, or opt to Generate a New 836crime report.

FIG. 17 is an illustration of an exemplary structure of a Question Item1300 object, along with the Fixed 1302 and Dynamic 1304 properties foreach individual or set of Question Items (See FIG. 18). Each questioningsequence is established by linking the questions items in the logicalsequence through the unique Tag 1312 and the Next Item Tag 1352. Whenmultiple question items must be collected in a module, these values areinitialized based upon the module structure but may be altered byfactors such as: institution-specific settings; source of initialconnection to the system; mode of communication; quality oftransmission; quality of recent transcriptions; operational conditionsof the institution; user and incident location; the previous responsesinput by the user; and the system status, and so forth.

The Dynamic properties 1304 of a question item store details including:a link to the Question Recording 1320 for pre-recorded media (i.e.,voice, video); the Question Text 1322 (i.e., “What is your name?”); theMissed Text 1324 is available should the initial prompt yield difficulty(i.e., “Say your last name, and then your first name.”);

The properties Urgency 1326, Importance 1328, Required 1330, andDecision Item 1349 are set when the object is created. These are used tomodify the questioning sequence dynamically. For example, under certaindynamic conditions, the reporting party will only be prompted to respondto Required 1330 items. In other cases the system will dynamicallychoose the method of transcription depending upon the Urgency 1326 orImportance 1328 of the response. A Decision Item 1349 is a question itemthat requires an immediate response (including transcription) before thequestioning sequence can continue. If a Decision Item 1349 cannot beobtained, the session will typically be terminated, though notnecessarily so.

When a response in obtained from the user, the Recording Date 1332 andtime of the response is stored. The Response Recording 1334 is the linkto the audio recording of the response. The Response Text 1336 storesthe text of the response obtain directly from the user (e.g., via SMS orweb-based session), or the text from the audio transcription.

The transcription process will sometimes yield an Alternate Text 1338string if the primary transcription is not definitive. The Confidence1346 is also used to capture a relative factor as to the quality of thetranscription. The Validated property indicates the response to thequestion item has been successfully obtained to the desired confidencelevel—or has been manually validated by an official.

Voice transcription (manual or automated) can also include determinationof the Demeanor 1348 of the speaker. For example, the values such as“positive”, “neutral” or “negative” may be used to dynamically alter thequestioning sequence as the session progresses. Similar to how anofficial who is speaking directly to a crime victim will limit theirquestioning if the victim is upset or otherwise unable to effectivelyrespond, so too the Demeanor 1348 value may limit or alter the extent ofthe question items covered in the modules and sub-modules.

When selected question items are Required 1330 and the system is unableto obtain an adequate transcription from the RP's response, there may bean alternative question item that, if successful, could be used tosuccessfully derive a response to the original question item. TheAlternate Item Tag 1350 holds such an item, if available. For example,should the system have difficulty transcribing the RP's name or date ofbirth, the alternate question item could be the Driver's License/IDquestion item which could then be used with an external system to obtainthe RP's name and date of birth.

The Attachments 1340 property contains links to any media provided bythe user for this question item. The Notes 1342 contains informationadded to the item during the review process. In a crime report scenario,the set of questions would include the fields contained in the typicalcrime report of the target institution; and each question would includedesignations of whether it is required or optional relative to thenature of incident, and/or a target level of transcription timeliness,and/or a desired level of transcription accuracy.

In summary, FIG. 17 exemplifies the structure of a Question Item 1300,along with the Fixed 1302 and Dynamic 1304 properties for each QuestionItem 1300. The dynamic properties of each question item can beinitialized upon entry into Report Input/Edit module 700. Thequestioning sequence can be established by linking the Question Items1300 in a predetermined sequence in each sub-module and associatedseries of components. Certain components may be omitted depending uponthe type of crime being reported, and the status of the system andsession. In order to provide a questioning order baseline, thequestioning sequence would be organized consistent with patterns used byofficials of that institution when directly responding to an incident tocreate a crime report.

FIG. 18 is a flow path illustrating one possible embodiment forprocessing an individual Question Item 1400. As described previously,Question Item(s) 1400 are linked by Tag, Next Item Tag and, optionally,Alternate Item Tag. The Previous Item 1402 references this instance of aquestion and the object is prepared 1410 and begins processing. ThePrompt 1412 is given to the user and the response is collected 1414. Ifthe criteria for Success 1416 are not met, the object is checked to seeif alternate text is available 1418 (Missed-Text). Then Alternate Prompt1420 is given and if un-Successful 1424, the next processing stepdepends whether the item is required 1426. If required, processingcannot continue and the processing transfers to the Exit module 1000,otherwise the system will move on directly to the Next Question Item1406.

In some embodiments, the analysis of responses to the questions wouldinclude the incorporation of previous responses, including parsing ofresponses with comparison to a glossary of significant key words orphrases, along with appropriate computerized instructions to be executedwhen such words or phrases are encountered. Accordingly, analysis ofincident data may include: detection of key words or phrases thattrigger certain behaviors; a search of historical premise information atthe incident location; comparison to other incidents within thegeographic region; chronological alignment with other incidents; andcomparison of suspect information received with other incident reports.These complementary and verification information would be obtained froman external database to identify potential correlations with otherincident data for the purpose of enhanced decision support duringinvestigation activities.

To assist a user or subsequent official, the exemplary system (dependingon the application) would include a computerized display displaying agraphical representation of the institution's incident (e.g., crime)report template, which would contain text of responses provided by thereporting user; time of response input; highlight of required elementsfor the given incident; context-sensitive pre-defined lists of responsesassociated with select elements in the template; field-specific accessto audio recordings of actual user utterances; access to media uploadedby the user; and ability for the user to override the initial responsewhile retaining it for future reference. Additionally,questions/response conversion could include computerized vocalizationswhich contain audio annunciations organized by the institution'sincident (e.g., crime) report template, the vocalizations having fieldnames and responses for minimum-required information; actual audioresponse if the response transcription is missing or of low confidence;optional playback of non-required report information submitted by theuser; field-specific access to audio recordings of actual userutterances; and access to audio media uploaded by the user.

If the initial or alternate responses are successfully obtained (Yesresponses to 1416 or 1424), response data is Stored 1430. The DecisionItem property 1432 is checked and this determines if an InstantTranscription 1436 is initiated, or the response is Queued 1434 fornormal transcription. Under Queued 1434 for normal transcription, theprocess proceeds to the next Item 1406 and transcription is de-coupledfrom the questioning sequence allowing for optimization of transcriptionresources.

For Question Items requiring Instant Transcription 1436, the session issuspended until the transcription response is received or a Timeout 1438point is reached. If the transcription fails or times out 1438 and anAlternate Question Item 1440 has been designated, the process continueswith that Alternate Item 1442, eventually arriving to Next Item 1406.

Under both transcription circumstances (1436 or 1434), the relativepriority of transcription for each item is included in the transcriptionrequest. These “urgency” and “importance” properties (along withDecision Item 1432 and Required 1426 flags), will determine itsplacement in each transcription queue as well as the transcriptionmechanism chosen. The values of these properties are pre-defined and setduring session initialization. For example, if the crime report is foran incident involving harassment, the question item related to thesuspect name would have elevated values for urgency and importance.Whereas the question item for the street address where the harassmentoccurred may have lower values. Therefore, the transcription of thesuspect name would be placed higher in the transcription queue than thesuspect address. This example assumes the queues have one or more itemswaiting for transcription. If the queues are empty at the point an audioresponse is ready for transcription, it will be submitted fortranscription immediately.

The above examples are detailed in the context of a crime report,however, other scenarios not related to crime may be easily addressed bythe exemplary embodiments, by revising the Question Item 1300 object(questions being asked) to reflect the type of service being addressed.For example, an insurance claim could be processed using an insurancerelated questioning process. Therefore, the exemplary system can beutilized for purchasing a ticket, buying insurance, reporting anincident, reporting an accident, or reporting a crime. Accordingly, manyother industries that require a report to be generated from informationgathered from a reporting party could benefit from an exemplary systemas described above.

While various processes have been detailed in a specific order, it isunderstood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an example of exemplary approaches. Based upondesign preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of thepresent disclosure. The accompanying method claims present elements ofthe various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited tothe specific order or hierarchy presented. Moreover, it is understoodthat various logic and flow decisions are hardware/software based—beingimplemented on networked computer system(s), allowing a transformationof information coming in from an audible source to be machine convertedinto a “high quality,” apportioned and filtered and properly formatted“written” output.

Accordingly, it is understood that the modules/sub-modules, functionsand operation of various elements of the described embodiments can beimplemented in server-based networked systems, with attendant databases,memory systems, and software programs to execute the describedfunctionalities. For example, the exemplary reporting system can bepositioned on a server having hardware as illustrated in FIG. 22, withassociated input hardware (to process voice/data) calls.

Accordingly, the various embodiments described above are understood tosignificantly reduce the manpower and time needed for conventionalincident reporting, providing significant increases in efficiency andproductive allocation of human (i.e., officer/official) resources. Theability to offload ministerial duties to an “intelligent” promptingcomputerized system that not only provides intelligent querying but,among other things, intelligent report formation, in the field ofcall-in processing, is understood to be a significant improvement overanything in the prior art.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented aselectronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Toclearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software,various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the present disclosure.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor.

It will be understood that many additional changes in the details,materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been hereindescribed and illustrated to explain the nature of the disclosure, maybe made by those skilled in the art within the principal and scope ofthe disclosure as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automated, computerized incident reporting apparatus, comprising: a call-in system, adapted to receive a call-in containing at least one of received voice and text from an unknown user reporting an unknown incident; a web-services connection system, adapted to access an emergency public-safety access point system, to provide at least one of complementary information and verification information concerning at least one of the unknown user and the unknown incident; and an automated voice processing service, adapted to receive at least one of the complementary information and verification information, perform an automatic analysis of at least one of the received voice and text, respond to the unknown user with context and key word sensitive questions, based on responses to the questions, identify at least one of the unknown user and unknown incident, associate an ID to the unknown incident, forward the received voice to a transcription service, receive a transcription from the transcription service, create from the transcription and text (if received from the unknown user) and from the complementary information and verification information a report detailing facts of the unknown incident, enable an authorized person to review and edit the report, and create a finalized report of the unknown incident, wherein the context and key word sensitive questions utilize a questioning structure with fixed and dynamic properties.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the call-in system and automated voice processing service is further adapted to determine a response capability of a device used by the unknown user during the call-in and provide an incident reporting assistance application to be downloaded onto the device if it is capable of running the application, to proxy oral querying.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transcription mode selector adapted to select a mode of transcription based on a criteria comprising of at least one of transcription service costs, process duration, transcription quality, current service performance levels, transcription processing time, and a nature of information being transcribed.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transcription service is further adapted to repeat original responses by a secondary person whose voice is directly linked to automated speech recognition services with higher accuracy.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the complementary information and verification information is obtained from an external crime database system and is used to identify and document potential correlations with other incident data, thereby enhancing decision support during investigation activities.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automated voice processing service is further adapted to transmit an incident report in part or in whole to at least one of an external public safety system, a select recipient via email, a concerned party via an outbound computerized telephone call or text-message or instant messaging service.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the automated voice processing service is further adapted to enable a reporting party to provide follow-up information and follow-up action for the incident after completion of the call-in or prohibit further input of information into the incident report.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the automated voice processing service is further configured with a computerized display for displaying a graphical representation of an institution's report template, the template comprising: text of responses provided by the unknown user; time of response input; highlight of required elements for the unknown incident; context-sensitive pre-defined lists of responses; field-specific access to audio recordings of utterances from the unknown user; access to media uploaded by the unknown user; and ability for the unknown user to override an initial response while retaining it for future reference.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the automated voice processing service is further adapted to include computerized vocalizations which include audio annunciations organized by the institution's report template, the vocalizations comprising: field names and responses for minimum-required information; actual audio response if the transcription for the user's response is missing or of low confidence; optional playback of non-required report information submitted by the unknown user; field-specific access to audio recordings of utterances from the unknown user; and access to audio media uploaded by the unknown user.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automatic analysis comprises: pre-designation of incident types with required and optional elements needed to fully complete the report; dynamic generation of a listing of required but not yet received report information; automatic field-level comparison of a selected report to other reports to merge data from duplicate incident reports; and supplemental notification of a detection of user-uttered key words or phrases, with a suggested corresponding action.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the automated voice processing service is adapted to further provide for the authorized person an access control for follow-up editing of the report, the access control comprising, a combination of unique record identifier, code, phone number, or user credential, wherein based on a selection by the authorized person, specific report details are made available to the user for review, input or revision in the follow-up, and a modified questioning is performed by the automated voice processing service.
 12. The apparatus as in any of the preceding claims, wherein the automated voice processing service is adapted to enable the user to perform an action of at least one of purchasing a ticket, buying insurance, reporting an incident, reporting an accident, or reporting a crime.
 13. A method for automatically generating an incident report, comprising: receiving a call-in containing at least one of received voice and text from an unknown user reporting an unknown incident at a call-in system; accessing an emergency public-safety access point system, to provide at least one of complementary information and verification information concerning at least one of the unknown user and the unknown incident via a web-services connection system; and receiving at least one of the complementary information and verification information, perform an automatic analysis of at least one of the received voice and text, respond to the unknown user with context and key word sensitive questions, associate an ID to the unknown incident, forward the received voice to a transcription service, receive a transcription from the transcription service, create from the transcription and text (if received from the user) and from the complementary information and verification information a report detailing facts of the incident, enable an authorized person to review and edit the report, and create a finalized report of the unknown incident, via automated voice processing service, wherein the context and key word sensitive questions utilize a questioning structure with fixed and dynamic properties.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the context is used to establish questioning sequences and dynamically determined details including at least one of institution-specific settings, source of initial connection to the system, mode of communication, quality of transmission, quality of recent transcriptions, operational conditions of the institution, unknown user and unknown incident location, previous responses input by the unknown user, and system status.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the questioning sequence includes fields contained in a typical report of a target institution, and each question includes designations of whether it is required or optional relative to a nature of the incident, a target level of transcription timeliness, and a desired level of transcription accuracy.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein a response to the questioning sequence is compared to a glossary of significant key words or phrases and, when detected, trigger at least one of a search of historical premise information at an incident location, a comparison to other incidents within a geographic region, a chronological alignment with other incidents, and a comparison of suspect information received with other incident reports.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the automated voice processing service enables the unknown user to perform an action of at least one of purchasing a ticket, buying insurance, reporting the unknown incident, reporting an accident, or reporting a crime.
 18. An automated, computerized incident reporting apparatus, comprising: a call-in system, adapted to receive a call-in containing at least one of received voice and text from a user reporting an incident; a web-services connection system, adapted to access an emergency public-safety access point system, to provide at least one of complementary information and verification information concerning at least one of the user and the incident; and an automated voice processing service, adapted to receive at least one of the complementary information and verification information, perform an automatic analysis of at least one of the received voice and text, respond to the user with context and key word sensitive questions, associate an ID to the incident, forward the received voice to a transcription service, receive a transcription from the transcription service, create from the transcription and text (if received from the user) and from the complementary information and verification information a report detailing facts of the incident, enable an authorized person to review and edit the report, and create a finalized report of the incident, wherein the context and key word sensitive questions utilize a questioning structure with fixed and dynamic properties, and wherein the context is associated with at least two of: institution-specific settings, source of initial connection to the reporting system, mode of communication, quality of transmission, quality of recent transcriptions, institutional operational conditions, user and incident location, previous responses input by the user, and system status. 